Combined cap and drinking cup for heat-insulated bottles



M. P. wETMoRE COMBINED CAP AND DRINKING CUP FOR H EAT INSULATED BOTTLES April 19, 1932.

Filed Jan. 22, 1930 a v TORS UEl/V AYSO/V flap/EFF WETMOEE I! d K ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MINER WETMORE, OI NORWICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB TO THE AMERICAN THERMOS'BOTTLE COMPANY, 01' NORWICH, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OI OHIO COMBINED CAP AND DRINKING CUP 1'03. HEAT-INSULATED BOTTLES Application Med January 22, 1880. Serial No. 422,588.

My invention is for a bottle casing of novel construction, particularly adapted for double-walled vacuum bottles of glass which require an outer protective covering. Heretofore it has been the common practice to enclose these bottles in sheet metal casings closed b removable caps also of sheet metal. When tl i drinking cup. These metal caps and casings have certain inherent objections and disadvantages. In the first place, the thin metal walls are easily dented, and even a slight indentation in the screwthreads of the cap or the casing may prevent these parts from being connected or separated. Then, too, any color applied to the sheet is merely a surface layer which is liable to chip or peel off. so that the cup and casing become unsightly. If the metal .is not colored but plated with a metal finish, it soon tarnishes. Furthermore, sheet metal is a good conductorof heat, and a sheet metal cup becomes almost instantly heated when hot liquid is poured in,

so that it is liable to burn the fingers or lips.

The heat-conducting property of'the metal casing tends to lower the heat-insulating efliciency of the glass bottle inside if the bottle g (as in some makes) is in direct contactwith the casing.

To overcome the'foregoilig and other obj ections in bottle casings and caps of sheet metal,

- I provide a casing which is formed at least in part- (if not entirely) of a material possessing the characteristics set forth in claim 1, an example of a material possessing such characteristics being an aldehyde condensation product. Perhaps the best known example of such a'product is bakelite, which is easily molded and. is obtainable in almost any color or combination of colors. Other products of this type are available in the market under the trade names durez, beetle, celoron, makalot, duiite, coltrock, and so forth.

The. accompan ing drawing shows a sectional view of a I ottle casing constructed in accordance with my invention. This casing comprises a 'cylindrical body or barrel 10 tcrminatin at the top in screwthreads 12, a breast section 13 screwed to the top of the barrel, and a cap 14 screwed to the breast e cap is unscrewed, it is used as a' section for eas removal. The breast section 13 has screwt reads 15 adapted to engag the screwthreads 12 of the arrel to unite.

these parts in a tight yet separable fit. The" cap 14 has screwthreads 16 which fit over screwthreads 17 of the breast section for easy removal of the cap.

An integral bead or rib 18 on the breast section 13 engages the top rim of barrel 10 when the parts are screwed together far cup 14 forms a flat bottom to support it 7 firmly in upright position when set down. To stren hen the cap at its rim, it may be thickene at 14' where the screwthreads 16 are formed. When the parts 1.0, 13 and 14 are molded, all their screwthreads are prefer" ably formed in the mold, so that each part is made complete in one operation.

The dotted outline 22 indicates a doublewalled vacuum bottle supported in the casing. The rounded bottom 23 of the bottle rests on a ring 24 of cork or rubber supported by spring fingers 25 which are shaped to engage the bottom 26 of barrel 10 and then extend upwardl to engage the side wall of the bottle. This orm of bottle support is an old construction and forms no part of our invention. Any other suitable means ma be used to hold the bottle 22 firmly in p ace. -The breastsection 13 terminates in an up wardly turned rim 27 which defines an opening 28 for receiving the top of the bottle in a snug fit. A ring 29 of soft rubber is held by the breast section in an annular recess 30, and this rin is compressed by the bottle to form a liqui -tight seal. The breast section 13 is formed with an annular shoulder 31 against which the bottle is pressed by the spring support 2425.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention, the three casing parts 10, 13 and 14 are made of molded condensation material suitably coloredi The coloring matter is not merely on the surface of the material, but is incorporated therein as an integral part of its structure. The color of cap 14 may be made to match the color of barrel 10 or the color of the breast section 13, so' that an desired color combination may be .obtaine When I speak of color, I include not only the colors of the spectrum, but also black and white, and the so-called metallic colors like gold, silver, gun metal, and so on.

Condensation products are fairly good heat insulators, so that the combined cap-and cup 14'when made of such a product W111 not become hot when hot liquid is poured intoit and will therefore not burn the fingers and lips. This feature is of real practical advantage not found in prior metal caps for bottle casings. Furthermore, by making the barrel 10 and breast section 13 of moulded heat-insulating material, the glass bottle'22' is completely out of contact with any metal exposed to the outer air, whereby the heatinsulatingefficiency of the bottle is increased. Furthermore, it is cheaper to mold the casing parts of condensation material than to make them of sheet metal. This reduction in manufacturing cost is an important item, because V the vacuum bottle business is highly competi tive. I might also mention that a casing of bakelite or other condensation product is lighter than a similar casing of sheet metal. In a less efiicient form of my invention, any one or twoof the three casing parts 10, 13

and 14 may be metal and the other parts or part of molded condensation product.

Although I have shown and described a specific construction, my invention is not limited to the details set forth,'for changes and modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A removable screwthreaded closure for screwthreaded engagement with the mouth I the liquid contents thereof, said closure being formed from heat insulating material possess: ing the characteristics, as compared with vitof a bottle of the type which is adapted to contain a hot or a cold Iliquid; said closure being in the form of a drinking cup for use when removed from the bottle in dispensing reous materials such as porcelain, that it is of relatively light weight and moldable subin rittle whereby it is not likely to chip or reak, that it is substantially non-abrasive so that it has little'or no tendenc to soar and which is capable of having coloring matstantially without shrinkage or distortion and to have relatively thin walls, that it is ofrelatlvel tough texture as distinguishedfrofifbm a metallic bottle casing with which 1t may be engaged even if it should become chipped,

ter embodied throughout its mass, e

2 A closure-drinking cup as set forth in claim 1 in which the closure-cup is formed from an aldehyde condensation product.

MINER P. WETMORE. 

